Gucci recently launched its fall/winter 2020 line, and it includes a plaid dress designed specifically for men that's been getting lots of attention. The fashion house claims it challenges "toxic stereotypes that mold the masculine gender identity," but not everyone agrees, because, well, it just doesn't work.
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First off, the dress just isn't cute; secondly, the brand is charging $2,600 for it; and thirdly, Gucci has completely missed the boat. As some fashion lovers have been quick to point out, men have been wearing dresses for years if not decades already, and they haven't been shelling out thousands for the privilege to do so.
Gucci previewed the dress in January 2020.
Gucci first previewed the dress during its men's fall/winter 2020 fashion show back in January 2020. The entire collection was designed with gender fluidity in mind and included many gender-bending pieces showcased on androgynous models.
The idea is already tired.
Some people have been quick to point out that men wearing dresses is nothing new.
"Blokes have been 'wearing make up' and other 'typical girly' stuff for years, many of my favourite 80s pop stars, they didn't find being masculine 'toxic', just went for a vibe. Some were gay some were not. Wtf are these dullards actually trying to say?" Sandie Smith tweeted.
Gucci's sentiment is misplaced.
In 2020, no one is interested in making a social statement by purchasing an overpriced piece of clothing. It's time for action, not putting on a show that draws attention to yourself and nothing else.
"For just £1,700, you too can 'disrupt the toxic stereotypes that mould masculine gender identity' by wearing a particularly ugly dress from the early 1930s," tweeted swordfish.
One Twitter user made an even better suggestion.
Twitter user Peter Doherty suggested that there are much better ways to defeat the stereotypes Gucci says it's challenging.
"If you want to fight 'toxic masculinity stereotypes' and have £1,700 to spare give your local women's refuge £1,680 and buy yourself a T-shirt," he tweeted.
Besides, the dress is ugly.
Looking past the seemingly shallow statement the brand says it's trying to make, the dress is insanely expensive and flat-out ugly. It's a simple cotton smock in a garish orange tartan print, completed with a Peter Pan collar and ribbon at the waist. It looks like something a child would have worn almost a century ago.
The dress's styling doesn't match the brand's messaging.
For some reason, Gucci has also chosen to style the dress over jeans in all of its promo materials, and it's just not a good look. Plus, it doesn't match the messaging of busting gender stereotypes—instead, it seems kind of like the brand is trying to inject some of the "masculinity" back into it. Maybe Gucci is just trying to create another retro trend that harkens back to the late '90s and early '00s, but the dress-over-jeans thing didn't work too well back then, and it doesn't now, either.
But again...it's the dress.
Gucci's fall/winter men's collection also features a light blue floral print dress for men, and somehow it's not nearly as offensive. At $1,800, it's significantly less expensive (though still cray), and its print and styling are far more attractive. Point being? That orange dress—whether worn by a man or a woman—is horrid.
